Our Leadership Team

Christel Allen Hair, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement, has served as an active member of the Capital Area Food Bank’s senior management team for over 17 years, beginning as Director of Development in 1998 and becoming Chief Development Officer in 2002. She is responsible for cultivating and engaging those that want to impact the food bank mission and strategic objectives and creating, implementing and evaluating the food bank’s fundraising program which includes direct mail; major gifts; foundation, corporate and faith-based giving as well as the annual Blue Jeans Ball.

Prior to joining the food bank, Hair excelled in both the nonprofit and private sectors. She began her career as an assistant buyer at Lord & Taylor in NYC and later a buyer at Woodward & Lothrop in Washington, DC, where she maintained multi-million dollar volumes in assigned departments, while also introducing new product lines. She significantly increased sales and improved ROI’s and strengthened business performance analysis and forecasting. She later moved on to a managerial role at INROADS Greater Washington part of a national program that secured talented minority youth and placed them in Fortune 500 corporate internships with the ultimate goal of permanent full-time positions after college graduation.

Hair earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History from the University of Virginia and is a Washington, D.C. native.

Mark A. Jacquez, Senior Director of Distribution Center Operations, joined the staff of the Capital Area Food Bank in 2008 to oversee operations of both the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. food distribution centers, where his responsibilities include transportation / logistics, inventory control, facility, fleet and equipment.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Fairmont State University in West Virginia

Les Johnson, Human Resources Director, is responsible for Human Resources; with a focus on employee engagement, strategic staffing, diversity & inclusion, and compliance. Les joined the food bank in 2005, following a 15 year career in business, government contracting, and the non-profit sector.

Prior to joining the Capital Area Food Bank in 2005, Les worked in a variety of HR positions for organizations like Charles River Laboratories, W.M. Schlosser Co., Inc., and Applied Quality Communications, Inc.

Les holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, and a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from the University Maryland University College. Les is a member of SHRM (Society Human Resources Management), and the HRA-NCA (Human Resources Association of the National Capital Area). He is from Detroit, MI.

Marian Barton Peele, Sr. Director of Innovation and Food Flow, joined the Capital Area Food Bank in 1990 and two years later became Director of Partner Relations, overseeing the food banks’ relationships with its hundreds of community partners. In her present position, Peele oversees the seamless movement of millions of pounds of food into the community through her leadership of the food bank’s Direct Distribution team. Peele also oversees the food bank’s Volunteer team, which welcomes the 26,000 people who donate their time to the organization each year.

A native Washingtonian, Peele has served on the boards of THRIVE DC (formerly Dinner Program for Homeless Women), Sowing Empowerment and Economic Development (SEED), and District of Columbia Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Peele was educated in DC public schools and is a proud alumnus of Duke Ellington School of Art. She is a visual artist who specializes in stippling, a pen and ink technique. She attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, and resides in Washington, DC with her husband and their two sons, Marshall and Miles.

Hilary Salmon, Chief of Staff, has been with the food bank since 2005. In her current position, she serves as the primary interface between the CEO, senior leadership team, and staff. In partnership with the CEO and other senior leaders, she manages the development and implementation of policies that support the organization’s strategic direction and the achievement of organizational goals. She is also responsible for overseeing the organization’s Communications and Marketing division.

Salmon’s previous roles at the food bank include Director of Special Projects, in which she was responsible for managing the design, construction, and ultimate relocation to the organization’s current facility; and Capital Campaign Manager, a role in which she oversaw the food bank’s $40 million ‘Til No One Is Hungry capital fundraising project.

Salmon holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and lives in the District of Columbia.

Melissa Schulz, Controller, joined the Capital Area Food Bank team in early 2015. In her current role, she leads the Finance Department in all fiscal operations including budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting and general accounting.

Schulz previously worked in agricultural lending and most recently in affordable housing. She comes to the team with experience developing and overseeing operational budgets of up to $120 million and financial reporting for entities up to $600 million. She has spent the last several years strengthening and leading turnabout in finance departments to build organizations’ fiscal strength.

A California native, Schulz relocated to Washington DC in 2013. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and her Master’s in Business Administration from California State University in Fresno.

Jody Tick, Chief Operating Officer, has been with the Capital Area Food Bank since 2006. In her current role, Tick is responsible for the daily management of the CAFB’s operational work. She provides strategic direction and oversight of the acquisition and distribution of food; the organization’s work with 444 food assistance partners and programs; a volunteer base of 26,000 individuals, and the development of information systems and metrics to inform decisions.

Tick’s prior experience includes the management of food system-related programs and projects for Washington, D.C.-based nonprofits. Her work has focused on international and domestic hunger and poverty alleviation; the regulation of biotechnology; local food systems; domestic food safety; and the promotion of healthy food access to underserved communities.

She has served as chair of the District of Columbia Public Schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services Family and Friends Advisory Committee, and as a member of the Mayor’s Commission on Food and Nutrition. Tick has a MSc. from the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and a BA in Environmental Analysis and Policy from Boston University.

This #GivingTuesday, we’re asking the community to help raise the funds for 300,000 meals in one day. With your support, we can do it! When you give, you’ll be strengthening the community by getting meals to neighbors across Washington and the surrounding Virginia and Maryland suburbs who need them. How does that happen, you ask?… Read more »

Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation, nineteen of CAFB’s partner nonprofits will be receiving freezers, fridges, and coolers that allow them to get even more good food to families in need. How will these appliances help? By allowing our partners to increase the number of food pick-ups that they can that make… Read more »